Day 11

"Love cherishes. Today, find a need of Adrien's you could meet."

"So, like yesterday?" Marinette asked.

"Yes, but a more targeted approach. Think of something Adrien needs today and help him meet that need."

With a sigh, Marinette finished writing that down in her journal and closed it. She finished getting ready for the day, then set about trying to find something she could do to complete today's dare.

When Adrien got into his office, there was a card waiting for him. He set his bag down and looked at it curiously.

Adrien,

I hope the call confirming your admission onto the national team comes soon.

Furthermore, I hope your relationship struggles soon find an end. I can tell there are days that affect you worse than others. No one deserves for their relationship to have that negative of an effect on them.

Best of luck, for everything.

Kagami Tsurugi

He grinned at the warmth that blossomed in his chest at that.

Plagg came to hover over his shoulder. As much as the kwami wanted to smack Adrien upside the head for regarding the card fondly, he knew he couldn't. His chosen was currently off to a good start for the day, and he couldn't ruin it this early on, no matter how much he wanted to cataclysm that note.

Adrien got home that day to a made bed and piles of clean laundry at the foot of it.

"She did laundry, today," Plagg observed from over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Adrien said absently. Marinette did laundry? Even though she was gone all day? She wasn't currently home, nor had she been home when he left for work that morning.

How'd the laundry get done?

"That was kind of her," Plagg continued.

Adrien shrugged, unable to do much more.

"Maybe it would be kind to thank her."

Adrien turned to Plagg with a glare. "What are you getting at?"

Plagg glared back. "Maybe it wouldn't kill you to be kind to your wife when she's been kind to you the last several days."

The stare-down continued until Adrien turned away with a grunt. "Fine. I suppose."

"You make it sound like it's going to be torture to do so."

"This is weird, Plagg," Adrien said. "She's been weird. Why, all of a sudden, does she just decide to start this?"

"She is your wife," Plagg countered. "Does she need a reason?"

Adrien pouted. Yes, she was his wife. Under normal circumstances, no, she wouldn't need a reason to be nice. But… "Do you think she's trying to get something out of me?"

Plagg looked utterly exasperated at the prospect. "Kid, I want you to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you really think that Marinette, the girl you've known for over a decade, would be trying to get something out of you."

Adrien took a deep breath as he mulled it over. Part of him wanted to say no, that he knew Marinette and that wasn't like her. However, another part of him reminded of how much she'd become like his father, and his father always had a reason for being nice. "I don't know what to think, Plagg."

And before his kwami could answer, Adrien headed into the shower.

Day 13

"Love fights fair," Marinette mumbled as she wrote down a list of rules she had been dared to abide by the next time she and Adrien got into a fight. Which hadn't been happening lately since Adrien had let go of being mean and was now just avoiding her like the plague. Honestly, it hurt more than she expected it to.

A lot more.

"At least we aren't fighting," Marinette tried to tell herself.

Tikki smiled and nodded reassuringly. "That's a good start. Maybe things will start simmering down between you two so you can actually talk."

"Would be nice." So would a 'thank you', but Marinette wasn't holding her breath on that.

"Be patient, Marinette," Tikki encouraged. "Rebuilding your marriage is going to take time. You're barely a third of the way through."

"I know," Marinette sighed. "I'm just… it's hard when I'm not getting anything back from Adrien."

"But you are," Tikki said. "Haven't you noticed that you two can be in the same room together now? Or that your conversations no longer hold fights?"

Marinette paused in thought. "I guess."

"Just because it's not the progress you want to see doesn't mean it's not progress. By you stepping up to take the animosity out of the box, he's done the same."

Skeptically, Marinette pursed her lips and shrugged. "If you say so, Tikki."

"Don't worry," Tikki assured, resting her paws on Marinette's hand and shooting her a reassuring smile. "Adrien will come around. Just keep pressing forward and continue to give your all into these four weeks, okay?"

While she could feel the hint of bitterness in it, Marinette smiled. "Okay, Tikki."

Day 15

When Adrien got the call, he was ecstatic.

"I made the team."

Plagg was in his hair in a second. "Told you so," he said while patting Adrien's head. "There's no way you wouldn't have."

"There were a lot of talented people there," Adrien commented.

"Yeah, but none of them were you."

His heart feeling light for the first time in a long time, Adrien reached up to scratch his kwami's ears. "Thanks for believing in me, Plagg."

"I mean, you're my chosen. I'm bound by contract to."

"Sure," Adrien smirked. "I know just how much you mean that."

Kagami was the second one to congratulate him that day. "I knew you would. You're extremely talented."

"One of many talented people there."

"Yes, but none of them are my friend." While not usually one to initiate touch, Kagami reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations."

Adrien grinned at her, his heart warm. "Thank you, Kagami. I appreciate it."

"Does anyone else know?"

"You're the first," Adrien answered, not counting Plagg. "I only just found out."

"Then I am honored," she said with a smile and slight bow. "We should go out to celebrate this occasion."

"Lunch, then," Adrien suggested. "I'd enjoy that."

He got home at his regular time, surprised to see that Marinette was already there making dinner.

"Oh," she said, turning to see him. "You're home."

"Yeah," he answered hoping to cover his surprise. "So are you."

She nodded. "Yeah, I… finished everything that needed to get done."

"You always find stuff to do," Adrien pointed out.

Instantly, she grew shy, looking down at the floor and biting her lip. "Well, not today," she finally responded.

Adrien's eyes narrowed on their own accord. He bit back his skepticism and decided he'd try to be nice.

"Did you have a good day?" she asked, stirring something on the stove.

"Uh, yeah," Adrien said. "I… uh… got a call confirming I made the national team."

Her gaze flipped back to him, blue eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. "You made the team?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Slowly, a smile grew across her face. He returned it, even though he felt uncomfortable doing so. In a flash, she rounded the counter to wrap her arms around him.

To say he was stunned was an understatement. They hadn't had physical affection between them for…

He didn't know.

The hug only lasted a second before she quickly stepped back, but her smile never faded.

His heart was two steps from beating out of his chest and he felt positively warm under her grin.

"Congratulations, kitty. You deserve it."

Kitty. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach twisted into a knot. When was the last time she called him kitty? He didn't know how much he missed that until the pain in his heart reminded him. "Thanks."

She smiled, then spun around to head back behind the counter so as to finish dinner.

And even though they didn't talk much and Adrien felt it was nothing short of awkward, they sat down to eat dinner together for the first time in a long time.

"Plagg, this is good. This is really good!" Tikki squeaked that night.

Plagg could only grin. "You mean that they didn't talk during dinner then went to separate rooms that night?" he smartly retorted.

With a half-hearted glare, she smacked him in the shoulder. "You know what I'm talking about," she chastised.

He chuckled, snuggling up next to her. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Let's hope it stays that way."